Kapital Koopas: G-Fusion Hits Beijing Next Month
Press F to pay respects to all the fallen goombas. It's time for a deep dive into China's gaming culture in our column, Kapital Koopas.
G-Fusion 2021 coming to Beijing this May
Despite the fact that in some countries, the pandemic is slowly being brought under control, we're still nowhere near being able to gather en masse, especially where international travel is concerned. As such, many of the world's biggest video game conventions such as E3 and PAX have announced that they will stick to virtual events, which has left many gamers wondering where, or when they'll be able to meet with other members of the international gaming community, outside of their living room.
Lucky for gamers in Beijing, the organizers behind G-Fusion – the dopest gaming convention in China – recently announced that, after suspending their 10th-anniversary celebration last year, they're back and better than ever with a massive event that kicks off with a gaming carnival in Beijing, May 15 and 16.
Unlike gaming conventions that predominantly focus on game development or the industry's commercial side, G-Fusion has always been a festival held by and for gamers. The scope of the festival is unprecedented, with opportunities for everything from meeting your favorite game developers, to getting your hands on titles before they're officially released. This year, G-Fusion has even leveled up: as opposed to simply splitting the participants into two different teams who compete with each other throughout the convention, this year they created an alternate reality game called Arclight Action, which will effectively turn the entire convention center into a game itself.
Of course, it wouldn't be a game if there weren't coins to collect and prizes to win, and the folks at G-Fusion are pulling out all the stops in that department. Likewise, the main event is four on-site "hell challenges" which, according to the organizers, can only be beaten by about 0.1 percent of serious gamers. And with such low odds, you better believe the prizes are out of this world. Case in point, the winner will take home a luxurious package that includes a 4k television, PS5, Xbox X, and Nintendo Switch. If that weren't enough, they'll also get to choose a free game every month for a year. Scan the QR code in the poster above to create your character ahead of the convention, and get fully immersed in the narrative via unique games, interactive art installations, and on-site ARG puzzles.
First Monster Hunter Rise tournament to be held in Beijing
While most of you are probably über-hyped for G-Fusion, the unfortunate reality is that we all have to wait a whole damn month for it. If you just can't contain your excitement though, pop on over to Paradise Walk at Beijing Daxing this Saturday for the inaugural Monster Hunter Rise Tournament.
The tournament will be limited to 100 hunters competing in various challenges, from basic hunting to hound racing and collecting eggs from fearsome dragons. All participants will be rewarded, but only the swiftest and most skillful hunter will take home the grand prize: a Switch Eshop gift card worth JPY 100,000. To sign up, you can check out the WeChat post here, or snag a remaining seat – should there be any – the day of. And of course, you can always just show up and cheer on the competitors. For more detailed rules, check their Wechat post here.
China implements a new evaluation system for games
Since last month, many in the gaming media industry, as well as gaming influencers, have spread the news that this month China's National Press and Publication Administration will implement an updated numerical system to evaluate games seeking publication approval.
By comparing the prototype to the current iteration, government-appointed experts will decide whether the developers have adequately addressed any problems previously brought up. Each game will be scored zero to five – with three being a passing grade – on five different criteria: ideology, originality, quality, cultural connotation, and the progress of the development.
According to industry observers, the new system suggests that the government is focused on evaluating games in a quantifiable way, with more attention being paid to the content.
However, the opinions of netizens have been relatively split. Some believe it will force developers to be more responsible for their products and may reduce the number of unabashed ripoffs that are currently diluting the market. Meanwhile, others have questioned the credentials and credibility of the so-called "experts," and whether they can score the games objectively.
Images: Gamecore, G-Fusion, Capcom, CNBeta, Tencent
